[January 21, 2014]JERUSALEM (Reuters)
— A Filipina caregiver who won Israel's version of the X-Factor
last week will be allowed to stay in the country and pursue a music
career, the Immigration Authority said on Monday.

Rose Fostanes, 47, was the surprise winner of the popular
television singing contest, but her visa only allowed her to
work in Israel as a caregiver and would not normally permit her
to move into show-business.

The interior minister has now decided to grant Fostanes an
artists' visa, which would allow her to stay in Israel and work
as a singer, the Immigration Authority said in a statement.

"It has not yet been decided how long Fostanes could stay for,"
an immigration official added.

Fostanes impressed the judges with a tear-jerking rendition of
Frank Sinatra's "My Way" on the show's final on Tuesday. Her
victory came as a surprise in Israel, where about 20,000
Filipinos work mostly as caregivers and cleaners.

Fostanes, who cares for an ailing woman in Tel Aviv, has said
she hopes her popularity on the show will shine a spotlight on
Israel's low-paid foreign workers.